Is India touring Ireland?

The current craze in Indian cricket is about Team India's three-match One-Day International series against South Africa. Where? In Ireland, of course. Or is it?

All the three matches are being played in Belfast. The same city hosted India and South Africa against Ireland earlier in the tour.

Now, Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland and what is commonly called Ireland are not one and the same. What is better known as Ireland, is actually Éire, or Republic of Ireland, just as South Africa is the common name for Republic of South Africa (RSA). The capital of Ireland or Republic of Ireland is Dublin, associated with such greats as George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, William Butler Yeats to name a few…. While Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, as the name suggests, is an independent nation outside the fold of the British monarchy.

The cricket team known as Ireland, that reached the Super eight of ICC World Cup 2007 tying against Zimbabwe and defeating Pakistan in the way, actually represents Ireland or Republic of Ireland or Éire.

So, however, since both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland occupy and share the island called Ireland, and since Republic of Ireland is also just 'Ireland', then it is technically correct to say that Team India is in Ireland, with the tour kicking off with a one-dayer against Ireland, though the statement is misleading, both the 'Irelands' not referring to the same geographical or political entity.

The unambiguous truth is that, India is taking on South Africa and has taken on Ireland in Northern Ireland. Try not including the 'Republic of's before the second and the third political entities; that can only sound too pedantic and eat into space and/or time.